Bezoar or Persian Ibex | Online Record Book Preview

Capra aegagrus

Bezoar (Sp), Bezoarziege, Pasang (G), Chèvre à bézoard, Pasang, Egagre (F). Also called pasang (Iran), or Turkish ibex. Called wild goat by scientists, who believe it is the ancestor of the domestic goat.

DESCRIPTION (male) Shoulder height 27-30 inches (69-76 cm). Weight 100-130 pounds (45-59 kg).

A handsome animal with blackish markings that contrast sharply with the lighter body color. The summer coat is reddish-brown, with adult males turning ashy-gray in winter. Underparts and back of legs are white. The blackish areas include the dorsal stripe, shoulder stripes, flank stripes, front of legs, chest, tail, throat and face. There is a long, black chin beard. Callouses are developed on the knees and sometimes on the chest. Males are characterized by large, scimitar-shaped, laterally compressed horns. The front edge is sharp, forming a keel for some distance, above which are a number of bold, sharp-edged, widely separated knobs. Females are smaller than males and have short, slender horns, but no beard. They are brownish-tan year-round, with a dark stripe from eye to muzzle.

DISTRIBUTION Free-ranging in the Florida Mountains of New Mexico. Also on private properties in Texas and elsewhere.

REMARKS The bezoar is native to the Middle East, from Crete and Turkey to southern Pakistan. Introduced in the Florida Mountains of New Mexico by the state game department (which calls it Persian ibex), with hunting permits available through drawing. An excellent game animal. Its New Mexico habitat is similar to that of its native Middle East.

HYBRIDIZATION The bezoar ibex is either known or believed to crossbreed, or to be the result of hybridization, when in a game ranch environment.